Okay so Sleep.fm, the browser based "social alarm clock" won't actually help you sleep, but it's got a brand new way to wake you up that's straight out of a science fiction movie. In this case it's this past summer's blockbuster hit Iron Man, where Tony Stark's journalist friend wakes up to a local weather report spoken by computer butler Jarvis.
Sleep.fm now offers something similar by waking you up to the local weather conditions and temperature with with a computer-generated voice and soft bell sounds. All you need to do is drop in your zip code and what time you want. It lets you stack up as many alarms as you wish, and they'll play as long as you've got that browser tab up and running.
Going forward the service plans to offer a call-back service that lets you delegate certain alarms as phone calls, so you'll be able to get it beamed to your handset in case you've got one of the few cell phones without its own alarm feature. It could also be a fantastic way to get out of an awkward blind date.
You can now choose to be woken up by the weather conditions of any zip code you choose with browser based alarm system Sleep.fm.
(Credit: CNET Networks)We got a ping earlier today from Tom Churm, the creator of Germany-based Online Alarm Clock, who wanted to let us know about his Web based alarm clock that's quietly been humming along since early 2006. The service's claim to fame is its two-click alarm selector, which lets anyone set a wake-up call or alert without too much complication (note: while Churm says it's two, you still have to select each hour and minute you want with a second button press, so it's actually four clicks). Users have to trudge to their machine to turn off the very annoying chirping sound, which won't cease without user interaction.
The service is scant on much else, leaving YouTube and Last.fm integration to the competitors (see below). There are however some nice settings to change the coloration and size of the display, toggle between 12- and 24-hour clocks, and an optional stopwatch you can use if you feel like timing something. The service draws in about 6,000 users a day.
Like we've said before, if you're mysteriously without an alarm clock or any other sort of alarm device but have your laptop on hand, this can be a handy tool; otherwise you'd be doing the environment a favor by leaving your machine off.
See also: The Naked Alarm Clock (review) and AlarmD (review)
Turn your PC into an alarm clock. Yet again.
(Credit: CNET Networks)
Instead of a beautiful desktop, you can replace it with an alarm clock that will wake you up with YouTube videos, Last.fm stations, and MP3s.
(Credit: CNET Networks)Your computer might be able to help cure cancer, or run fancy shmancy high-end games, but let's face it, that high-resolution display would make a really great-looking alarm clock. User interface programmer Zach Leatherman seems to have had the same thought, and has designed a very Webby desktop alarm clock service called Alarmd that runs right in your browser. It gives you a few options to choose how you want your slumber interrupted, like music from Last.fm, a video from YouTube, or a hosted MP3.
Users can set alarms for any day of the week, and keep track of the upcoming ones in a small queue. Once an alarm goes off, there are two fairly simple ways to disable it. One is to click the large "Kill It" warning box. The far easier option is to mash at the keyboard, which is how you're likely to respond to something like this.
There are some obvious advantages to using a regular alarm clock over your computer, including cheaper batteries, less crashing, and the cost of replacement if thrown off the nightstand.
[via Lifehacker]
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